Live. Learn. Balance. Inspire. Reflect.

Tag: bread

I’ve always found breadmaking rather daunting. I didn’t grow up in a household in which we made traditional homemade breads found in a western home. Roti was our staple “bread”. So, I didn’t know where to start. I tried a few recipes before but they always came out too hard or too dense. I wanted a recipe which produced a thin crispy outer crust, and an inner bread that is tender and fluffy. So, one day after making pizza, a small ball of dough remained with some shredded marble cheese. I decided to make experimental cheese-filled buns and see what happens. Well, the result was rather impressive. I surprised myself with this one!

Make the pizza dough according to instructions. Divide dough into 10-12 small balls.

Flatten one ball into a 6″ patty in diameter.

Place about 2 Tbsp of cheese in the centre of the dough and fold the cheese in so that the ends of the dough are tucked in at the bottom.

Place the dough on a prepared baking tray or cookie sheet.

Repeat Steps 3-5 for the remaining balls of dough.

Using a pastry brush, apply the egg-milk mixture to the tops of the buns.

Sprinkle tops with sesame seeds and Italiano seasoning.

Place in a warm oven and let rise for about 20-30 minutes.

Remove tray from the oven. Heat oven to 400 F. Then place tray back in the oven.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the tops are golden brown.

Enjoy while hot!

Variation: You can substitute the cheese with any kind you like! I would definitely like to try feta next time. Also, you can add some finely diced jalapeno peppers or olives to the cheese mixture for added flavour.

I got in a bread-y kinda mood one day and decided to make some pizza. Nothing can beat fresh pizza made from fresh handmade dough…yum! I’ve had this recipe for 14 years when I first started cooking on my own. It’s the only recipe I use and it’s super easy. The crust comes out crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Currently, I make this dough in my Kitchenaid mixer however you can always use your hands to knead the dough. There is really no difference aside from a little extra exercise!

Turn the oven on at about 250 F for about 2-5 minutes and then turn off. The inside of the oven should be warm but not hot because you will be placing the dough in here to rise. If it’s too hot, the dough may begin to bake – which is not what you want! If you feel that your oven is too hot, simply open the door for a moment to let the heat out.

In a heat-safe mixing bowl, add flour, oil, and salt. Set aside. (The heat-safe bowl will be placed in the oven).

In a separate bowl, add warm water, yeast and honey. Stir until blended and let sit for about 10 minutes until it foams.

Gently stir the liquid mixture and pour over the flour mixture. If you have a Kitchenaid mixer, using a kneading hook, mix for about 2-5 minutes until the dough is formed and leaves the sides. The dough should feel soft, smooth and elastic. It should not be firm or too sticky. If you follow the recipe exactly, it should be okay. If you do not have a mixer, simply knead with your hands until the same consistency is achieved.

Before removing the dough from the bowl, coat hands with a little bit of olive oil. This will prevent it from sticking to your hands and fingers. Then remove the dough from the mixing bowl.

If you used a mixer, I like to knead the dough a few times with my hands and form into a ball. I feel that the natural bacteria and oils in your hands helps the dough rise better…but then again, I may be wrong…lol. Just a theory.

Coat the inside of bowl with a little oil and place the dough back into the bowl. Rotate it a few times until the entire ball is also coated in the oil.

Cover the heat-safe bowl with a lid. I usually use a metal plate, Corningware plate or a metal lid from one of my pots. Place the bowl into the warm oven and let dough rise for 45 minutes or until dough has doubled in size.

Turn the oven on at 400 F.

Remove the bowl from the oven and punch down the dough. Knead a few times. Then roll out using a rolling pin until it is slightly larger than the pizza pan.

Place the dough into the pan. Spread with pizza/pasta sauce, favourite toppings and shredded marble cheese onto the crust. Place into the pan and bake for about 15-20 minutes until the crust is golden and cheese is bubbling and slightly golden.

Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes until cheese settles.

Cut into even slices.

Serve while hot with some refreshing salad and perhaps wings!

TIP: For a larger family or company, double the recipe to make 2 large pizza crusts. For a family of 5, I always double this recipe and we save leftovers for lunch the next day.

The smell of freshly baked cinnamon buns is heavenly. Warm fragrances of brown sugar and cinnamon can be simply irresistible. However, with previous failed attempts of making cinnamon buns, I wondered, why try again? The thought of wasting that much bread again was rather distasteful. But I became a little brave one time and decided to give it one last try. This time, I mashed two separate bread recipes to create this sweet cinnamon bun recipe. The final product turned out delicious and I was finally satisfied!

Pour the liquid mixture over the flour mixture and knead. If you have a Kitchenaid mixer, using a kneading hook, blend for about 5 minutes until the dough as formed and leaves the sides of the bowl.

Coat your hands with a little bit of oil (so the dough doesn’t stick while working) and remove the dough from the bowl. Knead for a few times and form a ball. Coat the bowl with some oil and place the dough back in.

Place the dough into the warm oven to rise for about 45 minutes or until it has doubled in size.

In the meantime, mix the brown sugar and cinnamon for the filling.

Remove dough from oven and punch down. Knead for a few times and divide dough into 2 balls.

Using one ball, roll out with a rolling pin. Form a large rectangle about 12″ x 15″ or until the down is about 1/2″ thick.

With a spatula, spread half of the butter over the surface of the rolled out dough.

Generously spread half of the filling mixture over the butter. Do not worry if it seems too much.

Carefully begin to roll the dough lengthwise to form a log (you will be rolling along the shorter side so that the log remains 15″ long). Once rolled into a log, gently pat it so the log is even in width. If the ends are more narrow than the centre, simple press the ends inwards with your palm and gently pat down the centre. NOTE: Check this out for a nice step-by-step guide with photos on how to roll up the dough.

Now, using a knife, lightly mark 1″ lines along the log. This is where you will cut the log to form buns.

Carefully begin to cut out the buns and place them in a prepared cookie sheet or baking tray. Keep about 1 inch apart.

Once all the buns are cut out and placed on the tray, place back in the warm oven to rise for about 30-40 minutes. In this time, they will double in size and the sides will begin to touch one another to appear like one large loaf.

Remove the tray from the oven and heat the oven to 350 F. Once fully heated, place the tray back into the oven. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until golden on the top. Be sure to keep an eye on them near the end of the baking time to ensure the sugar filling is not burning at the bottom.